" whistled Rube in his significant way, "thet makes things a
leetle plainer, I reck'n; an so I thort all along--an so I thort--
ye-es--so I thort. The durned rennygade niggur!" he added with angry
emphasis, "I know'd we dud wrong to let 'im go; we oughter served 'im as
I perposed; we oughter cut his durnation throat, an scalped 'im the
minnut we tuk 'im: cuss the luck thet we didn't! Wagh!"
Rube's words needed no interpretation. We knew whose throat he would
have cut--that of the Indianised Mexican taken at the mesa; and I
remembered that at the time of his capture such had been Rube's advice,
overruled, of course, by the more merciful of his comrades. The trapper
had assigned some reason: he knew something of the man's history.
He now repeated his reasons:
"He ur a true rennygade," said he; "an thur ain't on all the parairas a
wusser enemy to whites than thet ur--more partiklurly to Texan whites.
He wur at the massacree o' Wilson's family on the clur fork o' the
Brazos, an wur conspik'us in the skrimmige: a' more too--it ur thort he
toated off one o' Wilson's gurls, an made a squaw o' her, for he's
mighty given thet way I've heern. Wagh! he ur wuss than a Injun, for
the reezun thet he unerstans the ways o' the whites. I never know'd
sich a foolitch thing as ter let 'im git clur. 'Ee may thank yur luck,
Mister Stannafeel, thet he didn't take yur har at the same time when he
tuk yur hoss. Wagh! thet ye may!"
It was Stanfield's horse that had bee a stolen by the renegade, and the
tracks now identified by the ranger were those of that animal--no doubt
with the freebooter upon his back.
This new discovery let in a flood of light. Beyond a doubt, the
war-party was the same we had met by the mound, with perhaps a
reinforcement; the same that had just plundered the Mexican town; the
same who had paid their hurried visit to the hacienda, and this
renegade--
Ha! Strange remembrances were crowding into my brain. I remembered
meeting this semi-savage skulking about the road, after we had granted
him his parole; I remembered, upon one occasion, seeing him while riding
out with _her_; I remembered the rude expression with which he had
regarded my companion--the glance half-fierce, half-lustful; I
remembered that it made me angry; that I rebuked and threatened him--I
now remembered all.
Wild thoughts came rushing into my mind--worse thoughts than ever.
I sprang to my saddle; and, calling out some half-cohe
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